Via WWAYTV 3
TOPSAIL BEACH, NC (WWAY) — US House Representative-elect David Rouzer stopped in Topsail Beach Thursday to take a tour of a beach renourishment project that has been five years in the making.
Rouzer says the project, which began in November and will continue through the end of March, will hopefully pave the way for the entire coast of North Carolina.
The $10 million project didn’t come by easily, with Mayor Howard Braxton saying the process of getting the permit approved being the hardest part. But Braxton says now that they have the permit, all of the shorelines that are suffering beach erosion can also use it.
“It’s a great model,” Rep. Rouzer said. “I believe that’s it’s going to be the precursor for more projects like this to come, where we can save money by both dredging in particularly where the sand is of the particular quality that it needs to be where you can put it right back on the beach.”
Resident Jane Hill says she’s been noticing a lot of garbage washing ashore from the project and hopes once the project is done, it will be worth it.
“I’ll be welcoming more sand to build the dune back up,” Hill said.
Mayor Braxton urges residents to be patient.
“Oh, it’s perfect for our visitors coming in,” Braxton said. “They’re going to see a much better beach, a larger beach, a clean beach and it’ll give them something to be proud of, the residents.”